Apparatus for assembling car-trucks.



A. G. VAUGLAIN. APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING GAR TRUCKS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1910. o Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

3 SHEBTSSHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0,, WASHINGTON, D. C.

A. 0. VAUOLAI N.

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING OAR TRUCKS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1910.

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH IO-,WASHINGTON, 13v (1.

A. O. VAUOLAIN. APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING GAR TRUCKS.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 9, 1910. 1,059,789. 1 Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Wm M COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON. D. c.

NT OFIGE.

ANDREW C. VAUCLAIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CAR-TRUCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

Application filed August 9, 1910. Serial N 0. 576,368.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ANDREW O. VAUOLAIN, acitizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus for AssemblingCar-Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to construct an apparatus for assemblingcar trucks in which the springs have to be compressed before the framesare bolted together. In this type of truck the springs are assembledwith the bolster and columns and the columns are secured to the sideframes after the axles,

boxes and springs are in place.

Heretofore the assembling has been done entirely by hand and thisoperation has been tedious and expensive.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure l, is a planview of my improved cartruck assembling apparatus; Fig. 2, is a side view; Fig. 3, is a sideelevation of the apparatus, showing the truck in position prior tocompressing; Fig. 4, is a view of a modificat on of one part of myinvention; and Fig. 5, 1s a sectional view on the line 5-5, Fig. 3.

A is the frame of the apparatus made of channel or other shaped bars,and on this frame is mounted a bed plate B. Extending from each end ofeach side member of the frame are vertical bolts 0 on which are mountedthe axle boxes O. Springs 0 are ,mounted between the heads of the boltsand Qt-he boxes, so that the frame can yield vertically. Mounted in theboxes O are axles D having flanged wheels (Z which are arranged totravel on rails g secured to the floor or the wheels nn of the truck tobe assembled.

These blocks E can be adjusted toward and from each other by a screw rode having right and left hand threads thereon. The right hand thread isadapted to mesh with the threads on one block and the left hand threadsare adapted to mesh with the threads on the other block. The rod is heldagainst longitudinal movement by a central permanent bearing E securedto the I; beams E.

On the upper surface of each I-beam is an under-cut guide 6 and eachblock has an under-cut groove of the same shape as the guides. Onturning the screws 6 the blocks can be adjusted to accommodate wheels oftrucks of different gage. At the center of the frame A is a transversemember consisting oftw'o I-beams F, in the present instance, and securedto each outer end of these I-beams is a beam F forming a foot block.This construction is of sufficient strength to resist the downwardpressure of a ram when it compresses the members of the truck during theprocess of assembling as it takes the weight off of the frame and otherparts of the structure,

Mounted on suitable overhead beams GG, in the present instance, is ahydraulic cylinder I-I, having a ram I so shaped as to bear against thebolster m of the truck. This hydraulic ram can be operated by anysuitable valve medium. Other forms of rams may be used, if founddesirable.

In assembling the truck I first mount the axles with their attachedwheels on the blocks EE, then I place each lower truss member m on ablock 7 carried by the beams F. The boxes NN are then slipped on theends of the axles and above the lower truss member m, then the diagonaltruss members m are placed in position, after which the spring plank pwith the columns m are located in the proper position, then the springsP and bolster M are placed in position. After these parts are allproperly located the upper truss member an is placed in position, asshown in Fig. 3, and the several vertical bolts ss applied with theirheads resting on the upper truss member. The assembled truck is thenplaced under the plunger I and this plunger is forced downward, pressingupon the bolster M and compressing the springs P, allowing the uppertruss member We to drop onto the boxes and the columns, so that the endsof the several bolts project through the openings in the bottom member mand when in this position the nuts are applied so as to hold the severalparts firmly together, after which the plunger is released. The truck isthen assembled and can be removed from the apparatus. As the plungerpresses upon the truck frame, the main frame A of the apparatus isforced down until the foot blocks F rest directly upon the floor orfoundation, relieving the axles D and their wheels from strain, and asthe pressure is continued the springs P of the truck are compressed tothe extent desired. After the ram I is raised the frame A is moved toone side and the truck removed from the frame and another truckassembled thereon and placed in position under the ram and the aboveoperat-ion repeated.

In place of the right and left hand screws illustrated in Fig. 1, theblocks for supporting the wheels of the truck may be made stationary, asshown at E Fig. 4, and set screws 6 may be screwed into flanges e on theblocks for adjusting the wheels to the position desired.

I claim:

1. The combination in an apparatus for assembling trucks, of a frame,blocks mounted on the frame for supporting the wheels of a truck to beassembled, a centrally located beam for supporting the center of thetruck when compressed and compression means above'the center of thetruck for bearing upon the bolster to compress the springs so.that theparts of the truck can be rigidly secured while the springs are undercompression.

2. The combination in an apparatus for assembling car trucks, of aframe, axle boxes mounted on the said frame, springs located between theaxle boxes and the frame, axles mounted in the boxes, wheels on theaxles, a supporting frame, blocks carried by the frame for supportingthe wheels of a truck,

to be assembled, and means on the frame for supporting the truck whencompressed, and a compression means located above and inclependent ofthe frame and arranged to bear upon the bolster to compress the springsand to bring the parts together so that they can be rigidly secured inposition.

3. The combination in apparatus for assembling car trucks, of a frame,axle boxes mounted on the frame, springs mounted between the boxes andthe frame, axles adapted to the boxes, wheels on the axles, rails forsupporting the wheels, two sets of transversely arranged beams, blockson the beams for supporting the wheels of a truck to be assembled, atransverse beam centrally located for supporting the truck whencompressed, and a ram located above and inclependent of the frame andadapted to press upon the bolster of the truck to compress the springsto allow the side members of the truck to be securely fastened together.

4. The combination in means for assembling car trucks, of a frame, axlesyieldingly carrying said frame, blocks on the frame,

means for adjusting the blocks transversely, beams on the frame forsupporting the truck when compressed, and a ram located above andindependent of the frame and arranged to compress the springs of a truckto be assembled, so that the side members of the truck frame can berigidly secured in position.

5. The combination in means for assembling car trucks, of a frame, axlesyieldingly -mounted on said frame, two sets of transverse beams spacedapart, blocks slidably mounted on the beams for supporting the wheels ofthe truck to be assembled, a right and left hand screw for adjusting theblocks toward and from each other, a transverse beam at the center ofthe frame and having foot blocks adapted to rest on the floor, with aplunger mounted above the frame adapted to press upon the bolster andcompress the springs so as to allow the side members of the frame to bebrought together and assembled.

6. The combination in apparatus for assembling car trucks, of a frame,blocks mounted thereon for supporting the wheels of a truck to beassembled, means on the frame for supporting the central portion of thetruck, foot blocks carried by said means adapted to rest upon the floorwhen pressure is applied, and compression means located above the frameand arranged to bear upon the assembled parts of the truck so as tocompress the springs and allow the parts of the frame to be securedtogether.

7. The combination in apparatus for assembling car trucks, of a frame,blocks mounted thereon for supporting the wheels of trucks to beassembled, a transverse beam carried by the frame located midway betweenthe bearing blocks for the wheels, blocks mounted on said beam and uponwhich the center portion of each side frame of the truck rests, acompression plunger so located as to bear upon the bolster and compressthe springs of the truck so as to allow the members of the side framesto be secured together.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW C. VAUCLAIN.

Vitnesses M. BnowN, Jr., HENRY HowsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

